Syllabus for WRTG 1320, Academic Writing and ResearchFall, 2012
Class Sections: CRN 11237 meets TR in Thompson 101
Instructor: Deb Moore Office: Thompson 335 Hours: MWF 9-10, TR 9:30-12 and by appointment email: dmoore@uca.edu (best way) Phone: 501-450-5855 (be prepared to leave a voice mail message)
Course Description: Part of the general education program and required of all students during the first semester they are eligible to enroll. The course introduces students to academic argument based on substantiating, evaluating, and proposing claims. Research strategies are central to the course, which will be conducted as a workshop. Prerequisite. WRTG 1310 with a grade of C or higher. Offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms. 3.000 Credit Hours.
Goals & Objectives (what you will learn): Academic Writing and Research will develop your communication skills in writing, thinking, and reading. The goal of the class is to help you become a stronger reader and a more confident writer with an extensive repertoire of strategies for academic and professional writing tasks:
1) Practice academic writing tasks such as summarizing, paraphrasing, defining, serializing, and classifying; 2) develop invention, drafting, revising, and editing skills; 3) produce academic prose characterized by well-supported claims, coherence, intellectual force, and grammatical and stylistic control; 4) develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and comparison; 5) read essays from a variety of disciplines; 6) become aware of rhetorical strategies and composing conventions; 7) write a research paper using a suitable documentation system; 8) learn how to find, evaluate, select, and synthesize information and ideas.
Required Texts: (1) Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers, 7th ed. by Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy, 7th ed.
(2) Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell, The Pocket Wadsworth Handbook, 5th ed. Boston: Cengage, 2012 (ISBN: 9780495912958) (3) Any college-level dictionary (4) Class Wiki: wrtg1320-11237.wikispaces.com
Required Supplies: (1) Access to a computer and printer
(2) A wire-bound or other SOFT SIDED notebook in which to journal
General Requirements:
PROCESS WRITING You are responsible for the material covered in the assigned readings on the day that reading is due. In addition, you will be asked to write a response to the reading in your Process Notebook. Quizzes on readings may also be administered. These are administered at the beginning of class and cannot be made up if you are tardy or absent.
You will do two types of writing in this class. The first of these are Process Writing assignments, which are informal tasks such as journaling, freewriting, pre-writing, quizzes, and response sheets. These may be handwritten and are kept in the notebook you’ve been asked to purchase for this purpose. Process Notebook entries will be checked periodically throughout the semester. Keep your process writing up-to-date; assignments will be checked without advance notice. Bring your Process Notebook with you to class every day; you must have it with you to earn the points. You cannot make the points by bringing your Process Notebook to the next class.
Even though the research proposal is also classified as process writing, it must be prepared using MLA format. (See the assignment sheet for complete instructions.)
Process writing will be worth 30% of the course grade.
FORMAL WRITING The Summary assignment, Critical Analysis and Synthesis Essays, Annotated Bibliography and Final Research Paper are Formal Writing tasks, and must be typed in MLA format. (If your major requires APA or other format, please let me know so that you may submit work in that format instead.)
Formal assignments will be uploaded to the class wiki. You will occasionally be asked to print a paper for peer review, but for the most part, our class is as close to paperless as I can make it.
Formal writing will be worth 70% of the course grade.
OTHER CONCERNS You will receive a hard copy of the syllabus and the course outline, but all other handouts will be posted on the class Wiki. It is your responsibility to be sure that you can access the Wiki.
This is a workshop class, so you will need your tools every day. Please bring the hard copy of your syllabus and course outline, your process writing notebook, textbook, and handbook with you to every class. You may want to bring your laptop or tablet, if you have one.
Please come by my office to visit with me for 15 minutes or so at some point during the semester.
I do not accept assignments via email.
Coursework:
Students must submit all major assignments and associated drafts in order to have the opportunity to pass the course.
All essays will undergo in-class peer review. Missing class on peer review day, failure to have a paper prepared for peer review, or failure to perform an assigned peer review will result in an automatic one letter grade deduction for the final grade of the paper. In addition, people are fairly quick to pick up on who can't be counted on to do his or her part. Drop the ball a couple times, and no one will want to trade peer reviews with you. If you have already proven yourself to be undependable, I won't force them to.
A Writing Center tutoring session is required for each major assignment. Schedule your appointments BEFORE the final draft is due. There are a limited number of appointment slots, so make your appointments early. THE WRITING CENTER WILL CANCEL YOUR REMAINING APPOINTMENTS IF YOU ARE A NO-SHOW WHO DIDN’T CANCEL.
JOURNALING, FREEWRITING, PRE-WRITING, QUIZZES, AND READING RESPONSE SHEETS combined are worth 15% of the total grade for this course.
THE SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT: You will write a 750 word summary of an assigned reading. This assignment is worth 10% of the total grade. The final revision of this assignment is due September 18.
THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY: You will write a critical analysis of an assigned reading. This essay is worth 15% of the total grade. The final revision of this essay is due on October 9.
THE SYNTHESIS ESSAY: You will write a synthesis designed to help readers understand your chosen topic. This essay is 15% of the total grade. The final revision of this paper is due October 30.
There is no midterm exam. Students will typically receive a grade of X at midterm.
THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL is worth 10% of the total grade. Topics are subject to approval by the instructor. The first draft is due November 13.
THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY is worth 15% of the total grade and the first draft is due November 27.
THE RESEARCH PAPER is a thesis-driven, argument essay in which you present your own point of view, supported by relevant facts drawn from sources, and presented in a logical manner. It is worth 20% of the total grade and will address a topic that you have been studying all semester. The final revision of the essay, the research proposal, and the annotated bibliography are due on the day and time scheduled for your final exam:
CRN 11237 11am Tuesday, December 11
No provisions will be made for either early or late submission of final papers.
Assessment Methods: Grading:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
59 and below F
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments are accepted only by prior arrangement and will automatically receive a whole letter grade reduction per calendar day. In addition, I may request that a late essay be accompanied by a 500-word explanation.
Essays will be graded using the following standards, bearing in mind that other factors—such as failure to follow instructions or formatting guidelines, lack of peer review, or missing due dates—may also affect your grade:
A/Excellent: Shows originality of thought in stating and developing a central controlling idea. Its ideas are clear, logical, and thought-provoking; it contains all the positive qualities of good writing listed below:
Concentration on a main purpose, with thorough development and firm support of evidence using concrete detail and specific examples.
Careful construction and organization.
Careful choice of effective words and phrases.
B/Superior: Has a clearly stated central purpose, logically and adequately developed. Its ideas are clear because it contains some of the qualities of good writing described under A above. It is relatively free of errors in the use of English. Although indicating technical competence, the B paper lacks the originality of thought and style which characterizes the A essay.
C/Average: Has a central idea stated and organized clearly enough to convey its purpose to the reader; it avoids serious errors in the use of English. It may, in fact, have few correction marks on it, but it lacks adequate and strong use of supporting details as well as the vigor of thought and expression which would entitle it to an above-average rating.
D/Unsatisfactory: Indicates below-average achievement in expressing ideas correctly and effectively. Most D papers fail to present a clear central idea and or to develop it adequately. Typically, they will contain numerous serious errors in the use of English. With a clearly stated central idea, fuller development, and more careful proofreading, many D papers might be worth at least a C grade.
F/Failing: Is the result of poor writing, which usually includes one or more of the following problems:
Failure to state and develop a thesis or to use some equivalent organization appropriate to the topic;
A lack of unity, coherence, and development within the individual paragraphs or the paper as a whole;
A mass of vague generalizations that essentially restate the thesis without offering specific details as support;
Little or no relation to the assignment;
Inadequate length;
Frequent misspelling of words;
Sentence-structure errors (fragments/run-ons);
Lack of agreement between subject and verb or pronoun and antecedent;
Lack of clear pronoun-antecedent reference;
Verb form errors (including tense, voice, and mood).
Papers that are plagiarized, in whole or in part, will earn a Failing grade.
Attendance
Punctual class attendance is mandatory. In-class peer review constitutes a portion of your grade and cannot be made up if missed. In addition, we will be spending class time examining examples of, planning for, and drafting each of the major assignments. Occasionally, I will devote a class meeting to your research and we will meet in the library. Your attendance on those days is also required. These dates will be announced in class and I will remind you during the previous class meeting, however, you are responsible for knowing where you are supposed to be.
In the event of unavoidable absence, you are responsible for finding out what was missed before returning to class. Do this by checking the class Wiki AND contacting another class member.
Students who miss more than two weeks' worth of classes—i.e., six class meetings in a MWF course, four meetings in a TR course, or two classes of a one night a week course—and/or miss a week's worth of classes consecutively without contacting the instructor may be dropped from the course. Students who are dropped for non-attendance will be assigned a WF, WP, or W grade as appropriate.
Three late arrivals or early departures may be counted as one absence.
I call roll every day. If you arrive to class late, I may have already counted you as absent. You should get with me after class is over to make sure that you get credit for having been in class.
Class Etiquette:
The standard rules of etiquette apply. Please set your cell phone to silent or vibrate before class begins and do not engage in text messaging during class time. Keep private exchanges with your neighbors minimal, and do not sleep in class. Students who exhibit disruptive behavior—that is, any behavior that interferes with the instructor's ability to conduct the class and foster student learning, or who exhibit behavior so outrageous as to severely impede the conduct of a class—may be dropped by the instructor after consultation with the department chair. Students who are dropped for disruptive behavior will be assigned a WF grade.
UCA Policies:
Disability Policy. The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the UCA Office of Disability Services at 450-3613.
Harassment Policy. Harassment by any faculty member, staff member, or student is a violation of both law and University policy and will not be tolerated. Please read the appropriate pages of your Student Handbook for the policies, definition, and procedures concerning harassment. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or the chair of the department. Individuals who believe they have been subjected to harassment should report the incident promptly to their academic dean or to a departmental chair or directly to the university’s Affirmative Action officer, legal counsel or assistant vice president for human resources.
Academic Integrity Statement. The University of Central Arkansas affirms its commitment to academic integrity and expects all members of the university community to accept shared responsibility for maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the provisions of the university's Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy No. 709 on February 10, 2010, and published in the Student Handbook. Penalties for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the course, or any other course-related sanction the instructor determines to be appropriate. Continued enrollment in this course affirms a student's acceptance of this university policy.
Writing Department Plagiarism Policy: If a student in a Writing Department course turns in a paper that includes an extended passage that has been a.) written for him or her by someone else for pay or as a favor or b.) copied from a print or electronic source written by another author, even if some of the words have been changed, that student will immediately be dropped from the course, receiving a WF grade. In addition, notification will be sent from the Writing Department office to the Office of the Provost documenting the student's academic misconduct. This documentation will be retained permanently at the Office of the Provost. We will be discussing plagiarism in class to be sure you understand what it is and how to avoid it.
Evaluations: Student evaluations of a course and its professor are a crucial element in helping faculty achieve excellence in the classroom and the institution in demonstrating that students are gaining knowledge. Students may evaluate courses they are taking starting on the Monday of the twelfth week of instruction (Monday, November 12) through the end of finals week by logging in to myUCA and clicking on the Evals button on the top right.
Special Problems. If, during any point of the semester, you find that personal problems are keeping you from completing your course work, you may find it beneficial to visit the counseling center. All students are entitled to free, confidential, professional counseling. Please contact the University Counseling Center at 450-3138. They are located in the Student Health Center, suite 327.
Other Policies. You should familiarize yourself with all academic policies in your Student Handbook.
The Fine Print
The syllabus and course outline are subject to change. Changes, if any, will be announced in class and on the course Wiki. You are responsible for keeping abreast of such changes.
Class Sections:
CRN 11237 meets TR in Thompson 101
Instructor:
Deb Moore
Office: Thompson 335
Hours: MWF 9-10, TR 9:30-12 and by appointment
email: dmoore@uca.edu (best way)
Phone: 501-450-5855 (be prepared to leave a voice mail message)
Course Description:
Part of the general education program and required of all students during the first semester they are eligible to enroll. The course introduces students to academic argument based on substantiating, evaluating, and proposing claims. Research strategies are central to the course, which will be conducted as a workshop. Prerequisite. WRTG 1310 with a grade of C or higher. Offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms. 3.000 Credit Hours.
Goals & Objectives (what you will learn):
Academic Writing and Research will develop your communication skills in writing, thinking, and reading. The goal of the class is to help you become a stronger reader and a more confident writer with an extensive repertoire of strategies for academic and professional writing tasks:
1) Practice academic writing tasks such as summarizing, paraphrasing, defining, serializing, and classifying;
2) develop invention, drafting, revising, and editing skills;
3) produce academic prose characterized by well-supported claims, coherence, intellectual force, and grammatical and stylistic control;
4) develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and comparison;
5) read essays from a variety of disciplines;
6) become aware of rhetorical strategies and composing conventions;
7) write a research paper using a suitable documentation system;
8) learn how to find, evaluate, select, and synthesize information and ideas.
Required Texts:
(1) Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers, 7th ed. by Mary
Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy, 7th ed.
(2) Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell, The Pocket Wadsworth Handbook, 5th ed.
Boston: Cengage, 2012 (ISBN: 9780495912958)
(3) Any college-level dictionary
(4) Class Wiki: wrtg1320-11237.wikispaces.com
Required Supplies:
(1) Access to a computer and printer
(2) A wire-bound or other SOFT SIDED notebook in which to journal
General Requirements:
PROCESS WRITING
You are responsible for the material covered in the assigned readings on the day that reading is due. In addition, you will be asked to write a response to the reading in your Process Notebook. Quizzes on readings may also be administered. These are administered at the beginning of class and cannot be made up if you are tardy or absent.
You will do two types of writing in this class. The first of these are Process Writing assignments, which are informal tasks such as journaling, freewriting, pre-writing, quizzes, and response sheets. These may be handwritten and are kept in the notebook you’ve been asked to purchase for this purpose. Process Notebook entries will be checked periodically throughout the semester. Keep your process writing up-to-date; assignments will be checked without advance notice. Bring your Process Notebook with you to class every day; you must have it with you to earn the points. You cannot make the points by bringing your Process Notebook to the next class.
Even though the research proposal is also classified as process writing, it must be prepared using MLA format. (See the assignment sheet for complete instructions.)
Process writing will be worth 30% of the course grade.
FORMAL WRITING
The Summary assignment, Critical Analysis and Synthesis Essays, Annotated Bibliography and Final Research Paper are Formal Writing tasks, and must be typed in MLA format. (If your major requires APA or other format, please let me know so that you may submit work in that format instead.)
Formal assignments will be uploaded to the class wiki. You will occasionally be asked to print a paper for peer review, but for the most part, our class is as close to paperless as I can make it.
Formal writing will be worth 70% of the course grade.
OTHER CONCERNS
You will receive a hard copy of the syllabus and the course outline, but all other handouts will be posted on the class Wiki. It is your responsibility to be sure that you can access the Wiki.
This is a workshop class, so you will need your tools every day. Please bring the hard copy of your syllabus and course outline, your process writing notebook, textbook, and handbook with you to every class. You may want to bring your laptop or tablet, if you have one.
Please come by my office to visit with me for 15 minutes or so at some point during the semester.
I do not accept assignments via email.
Coursework:
Students must submit all major assignments and associated drafts in order to have the opportunity to pass the course.
All essays will undergo in-class peer review. Missing class on peer review day, failure to have a paper prepared for peer review, or failure to perform an assigned peer review will result in an automatic one letter grade deduction for the final grade of the paper. In addition, people are fairly quick to pick up on who can't be counted on to do his or her part. Drop the ball a couple times, and no one will want to trade peer reviews with you. If you have already proven yourself to be undependable, I won't force them to.
A Writing Center tutoring session is required for each major assignment. Schedule your appointments BEFORE the final draft is due. There are a limited number of appointment slots, so make your appointments early. THE WRITING CENTER WILL CANCEL YOUR REMAINING APPOINTMENTS IF YOU ARE A NO-SHOW WHO DIDN’T CANCEL.
JOURNALING, FREEWRITING, PRE-WRITING, QUIZZES, AND READING RESPONSE SHEETS combined are worth 15% of the total grade for this course.
THE SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT: You will write a 750 word summary of an assigned reading. This assignment is worth 10% of the total grade. The final revision of this assignment is due September 18.
THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY: You will write a critical analysis of an assigned reading. This essay is worth 15% of the total grade. The final revision of this essay is due on October 9.
THE SYNTHESIS ESSAY: You will write a synthesis designed to help readers understand your chosen topic. This essay is 15% of the total grade. The final revision of this paper is due October 30.
There is no midterm exam. Students will typically receive a grade of X at midterm.
THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL is worth 10% of the total grade. Topics are subject to approval by the instructor. The first draft is due November 13.
THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY is worth 15% of the total grade and the first draft is due November 27.
THE RESEARCH PAPER is a thesis-driven, argument essay in which you present your own point of view, supported by relevant facts drawn from sources, and presented in a logical manner. It is worth 20% of the total grade and will address a topic that you have been studying all semester. The final revision of the essay, the research proposal, and the annotated bibliography are due on the day and time scheduled for your final exam:
CRN 11237 11am Tuesday, December 11
No provisions will be made for either early or late submission of final papers.
Assessment Methods:
Grading:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
59 and below F
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments are accepted only by prior arrangement and will automatically receive a whole letter grade reduction per calendar day. In addition, I may request that a late essay be accompanied by a 500-word explanation.
Essays will be graded using the following standards, bearing in mind that other factors—such as failure to follow instructions or formatting guidelines, lack of peer review, or missing due dates—may also affect your grade:
A/Excellent: Shows originality of thought in stating and developing a central controlling idea. Its ideas are clear, logical, and thought-provoking; it contains all the positive qualities of good writing listed below:
B/Superior: Has a clearly stated central purpose, logically and adequately developed. Its ideas are clear because it contains some of the qualities of good writing described under A above. It is relatively free of errors in the use of English. Although indicating technical competence, the B paper lacks the originality of thought and style which characterizes the A essay.
C/Average: Has a central idea stated and organized clearly enough to convey its purpose to the reader; it avoids serious errors in the use of English. It may, in fact, have few correction marks on it, but it lacks adequate and strong use of supporting details as well as the vigor of thought and expression which would entitle it to an above-average rating.
D/Unsatisfactory: Indicates below-average achievement in expressing ideas correctly and effectively. Most D papers fail to present a clear central idea and or to develop it adequately. Typically, they will contain numerous serious errors in the use of English. With a clearly stated central idea, fuller development, and more careful proofreading, many D papers might be worth at least a C grade.
F/Failing: Is the result of poor writing, which usually includes one or more of the following problems:
Papers that are plagiarized, in whole or in part, will earn a Failing grade.
Attendance
Punctual class attendance is mandatory. In-class peer review constitutes a portion of your grade and cannot be made up if missed. In addition, we will be spending class time examining examples of, planning for, and drafting each of the major assignments. Occasionally, I will devote a class meeting to your research and we will meet in the library. Your attendance on those days is also required. These dates will be announced in class and I will remind you during the previous class meeting, however, you are responsible for knowing where you are supposed to be.
In the event of unavoidable absence, you are responsible for finding out what was missed before returning to class. Do this by checking the class Wiki AND contacting another class member.
Students who miss more than two weeks' worth of classes—i.e., six class meetings in a MWF course, four meetings in a TR course, or two classes of a one night a week course—and/or miss a week's worth of classes consecutively without contacting the instructor may be dropped from the course. Students who are dropped for non-attendance will be assigned a WF, WP, or W grade as appropriate.
Three late arrivals or early departures may be counted as one absence.
I call roll every day. If you arrive to class late, I may have already counted you as absent. You should get with me after class is over to make sure that you get credit for having been in class.
Class Etiquette:
The standard rules of etiquette apply. Please set your cell phone to silent or vibrate before class begins and do not engage in text messaging during class time. Keep private exchanges with your neighbors minimal, and do not sleep in class. Students who exhibit disruptive behavior—that is, any behavior that interferes with the instructor's ability to conduct the class and foster student learning, or who exhibit behavior so outrageous as to severely impede the conduct of a class—may be dropped by the instructor after consultation with the department chair. Students who are dropped for disruptive behavior will be assigned a WF grade.
UCA Policies:
The Fine Print
The syllabus and course outline are subject to change. Changes, if any, will be announced in class and on the course Wiki. You are responsible for keeping abreast of such changes.